The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1887-01-15
THE HORSES STALL,
Why 1t Should De Supplied With Movabl.
Omen Floor.


Some horse-owners, thinking to add
to add to the horses comfort by giving
drainage to the floor of the stall, raise
the forward part of the floor a couple
OF inches or so higher than the rear
part. The real incentive to this is more
likely to be the idea of greater ease to
the owner in keeping the stall dry with
the least outlay of bedding and labor,
without thought to the great discom-
fort imposed upon the horse.
If the owner will observe the position
assumed by horses at rest in pastures or
stable-yards, he will find that a horse
standing for some time in position
best calculated of any to give him rest
permitting the animal to be his
own judge-will never, for length
OF time, stand with his fore feet
on the ground higher than that
occupied by his hind feet, for this
position puts the muscles of the
loin and quarters upon the strain,
while. with the position reversed, the
muscles are relaxed, hence at rest. It
should be borne in mind that the fibers
OF the muscles, while in the matter of
contraction and relaxation, are like a
spiral spring, are unlike the spring in
that they tire from being put under
tension and kept so. They require rest,
while the wire spring knows no tire,
hence needs no rest.
The horse, confined on floor of the
kind referred to, soon learns to get back
the length of his hitching strap, thus
lessening the angle of his footing by
getting his hind feet well out upon the
floor of the alley-way. How often do
we find that in passing behind row of
horses that stand upon slanting floor,
we are compelled to send them forward
into their stalls that we may pass along,
Test this by tying a horse in wide,
double stall, where, by changing his
position at will, he can place himself on
level footing, or even more than this,
can plant his hind feet where they will
be slightly higher than his fore feet,
then observe, after he has finished his
feed, how often he is found in one posi-
ton and how often in the other. Place
the floor of box-stall few inches
higher on one side than on the other
and observe the proportion of time the
horse confined therein spends with his
head toward the side where the floor is
highest.
We are we'll aware, from long expert
ence with horses, that the gelding,
urinating as he does upon the center
portion of his bedding, so fouls his
nest" as to cause no inconsiderable
trouble in keeping his stall dry. This,
which we admit is quite an argument in
favor of drainage toward the rear, is
easily obviated by having a tight lower
floor with fall toward the rear, placing
above this an open or Slated floor, this
being raised at the rear to a level or
even fraction above. This open floor
can be made very quickly and cheaply.
should be movable. so it can be taken
out for the purpose of cleaning the sta
tionary floor, and permitting the latter
to get thoroughly dry as needed.
- Many horses "idle away the winter"
without steady employment or sufficient
use to at least give relief to the ennui
that always comes from confinement.
They would do better if they had
something to take up their attention
and give needed exercise to joints and
muscles. Horses that winter in the
country. although they do not work,
have plenty of room for exercise. What
is required is that which is too often
lacking, namely. Judgment and thought
fitness on the part of owner and helper.
--N0tIonGl Live Stock Journal.